Saturday, August 9, 2014

Yesterday, Kevin Durant announced his decision to withdraw
from Team USA and the FIBA World Cup. In a statement,
Durant said:

After going through
training camp with USAB, I realized I could not fulfill my responsibilities to
the team from both a time and energy standpoint. I need to take a step back and
take some time away, both mentally and physically in order to prepare for the
upcoming NBA season.

The seemingly vague nature of the stated reasons behind
Durant's decision have given rise to speculation as to what the real reasons
for his decision may be. The timing of Durant's decision has advanced two
primary theories.

Seemingly the most popular theory is that Durant's rumored
big money move from his shoe endorsement contract with Nike to Under Armour was
contingent on his withdrawal from Team USA. Under Armour has reportedly offered Durant over $300 million and equity
in the company, so it's understandable that they would want to protect their
investment.

It's even more understandable that UA might ask Durant to
bow out given the basis of the second most popular theory for why KD might have
bailed on the summer tournament: Paul George's devastating broken leg suffered in the Team USA
Blue-White scrimmage on Aug. 1. Perhaps Durant was spooked by George's broken
leg, independent of his shoe deal, or maybe Under Armour was the one who was
spooked and made Durant's deal contingent on his protecting himself.